Although an outstanding aircraft, again, the Air ministry sent too many men to their deaths, with the 'pea-shooter' armament, the .303 on all turrets and the same for the other bombers. Inadequately armed, what's the point? No underbelly turret either apart from the BMK2 which was dropped in any case for being 'too heavy'. Sure, all these refinements would probably mean lesser bombload or range, but if you're putting hitting power in fighters with 20mm cannon to fire at enemy fighters, then what gain with a bomber with rifle-calibre ammo when it has to defend itself from fighters? Senseless. The learned too late and far with the soon-to-be obsolete Lincoln. An wonderful aircraft nonetheless.

Lancs carried a De Havilland 3 bladed prop (no. 5140) Hydramatic or on Packards, a Nash-Kelvinator, both 12 feet in diameter

Have had a 3 bladed propellor dragged up from the seabed...radius from a tip to the centre line is 6' (72"), diam 12'. Originall the best contender was a 253 Sqn Hurricane which came down off Spurn Head but the prop diameter rules out this identification. Among several a/c types that crashed in WW II near Spurn Point the Lancaster ids a contender, hence my needing to know the propellor diameter. Anyone able to help?

Hello. I come from Germany and we found in the moorland a RR " Merlin" engine of a Lancaster bomber. Unfortunately the engine was so far destroyed with the salvage work, which it, although it is still very well received, cannot be restored. We want to issue the engine. My question: does someone have copies of the structural drawings of the bomber or the engine? We would issue these gladly also. Thank you in advance. (You excuse my bad English. But it already is over 20 years ago, which were I at school)

Can anyone tell me what the take off speed of the Lancaster Bomber? Thanks Steve

I was lucky enough to fly the Lancaster for several years with the Canadian Warplane Heritage in Hamilton Ontario Canada -a superb flying museum.
My father, an RCAF flight surgeon in WW2 had flown the "Lanc" and I only wish he had lived long enough for us to "compare notes".
While we flew our Lanc with no bombload and pretty much minimum fuel -it was obvious that in its day it must have been quite a performer.
From engine start to takeoff to landing to taxi-in you had to be on your toes -but the plane had no vices whatsoever and the roar of those four Merlins was absolute heaven!
At our low weights the action in the event of an engine failure was to reduce power on the matching engine on the opposite side and turn it into a "twin" -and in the event of a failure of one on takeoff all that was required was to keep the ball in the centre, trim -and then carry out the drill at a leisurely rate. No panic! I am sure it was quite different at night with a full bombload!
I will never be prouder of anything than of having flown the Lanc! It puts you in awfully distinguished company!

Jock Williams Yogi 13

Also, it is strange that Lancasters got Hercules fitted against a shortage of Merlins and Beaufighters got Merlins against a shortage of Hercules. I still prefer the Mossie even tho' it only carried 4,ooo pounds, a cookie.

One of two flying examples, the Mynarski Lancaster' is based at the Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum at Mount Hope Airport, near Hamilton. And it did have an amazing war record, but it also was destroyed en masse during raids on Nuremburg and the Berlin campaign. The Monica RWR and H2S radar acted as homing devices drawing German night fighters even when their radars were spoofed. The bottom half had no defence or visibility. the proposed ventral gun position only used a periscope and was almost never installed. It's place was taken by the H2S ground-mapping radar which drew fighters equipped with Schrage Musik cannons firing almost vertically up into the belly-Bombbay-fuel tanks, usually causing a big blast, with only rare survivers. Since nobody survived, nobody reported how they were decimated. What a deadly game!

The Avro Lancaster is my favourite bomber. I prefer this bomber to B-2!

The Lancaster represented the greatest addition to combat during WWII. This and the spitfire accounted for the considerable advantage the British had during the war. Let it not be understated that these aircraft were made great because of the Rolls Royce engine that made both of these aircraft AND the P-51D Mustang the outstanding aircraft we all remember today.

great aircraft

great aircraft

My father ended WW2 with 625 SQN @ Kelstern Lincs.He was ground crew SGT.Technical Instructor.He used to check fluids,leaking from his Lancs,by taste.He failed to identify one fluid,only to be told by the Skipper,on board,that he had just piddled over the main spar!!

During my RAF days at Bomber Command HQ, High Wycombe (1953/55) I represented 3 Group at badminton; playing RAF Scampton at Scampton,we had to push a Lanc away from the court where its wing overshadowed the court. I would like to know the diameter of its undercarraige.